Report: “Star Citizen” ‘Chaotic’ Game Development

Twenty former employees who worked on the highly anticipated big-budget video game “Star Citizen” have detailed their experiences and described the work environment as “chaotic”.

A new report from Forbes goes into the scene at Cloud Imperium Games where the $288 million crowdfunded game has long been in development and no-one seems quite sure when or even if it will ever release. Despite having spent seven years in development, there is still no end in sight.

The report alleges much of the issues come from company co-founder and designer Chris Roberts, the creator of the “Wing Commander” series, who apparently “micro-manages and gets hyper-focused on minor details of the game”.

The game is still the biggest crowdfunded project of all time, not including cryptocurrency funding, but there is still no clear release date for the online multiplayer space game. Its companion single-player game offshoot ‘Star Citizen’ only has a rough 2020 date.

Cloud Imperium Games received a further $46 million investment last year, but it’s not clear where all of the money is going. Roberts previously hired an expensive cast of actors, including Gary Oldman, Mark Hamill, and Gillian Anderson, to do motion capture for a cinematic ‘Squadron 42’ trailer.

The game is currently in its Alpha status and is nowhere near what it was promised to be – a game that’s supposed to support 100 star systems currently doesn’t even have one completed as yet. The Federal Trade Commission has reportedly received 129 complaints for the company but Roberts insists that the company’s fundraising is ethical. More details are up at Forbes.com.